Today is a special day for those who celebrate the mass in English in
this country.

English-speaking Catholics in the United States receive today in the
liturgy of the Mass a new translation (the third) of the Roman Missal.

In the August bulletin we reviewed each of the changes and offered some
arguments to justify the new translation. You can read it again or you can
consult our past bulletins in the parish website www.stsebastianla.org.

Some ceremonial formulas have been changed and now we will need to think
before responding instead of simply reciting from memory as we used to do
during the mass.

These changes invite us to participate more consciously in the Eucharist.
Let’s take this opportunity to participate more actively in the Eucharist.
Let’s think about the formulas we use, the words we speak in the prayers and
the readings we pay attention to. The mass is like a dinner prepared to feed
our faith. Let’s pay attention to all that the Lord offers us in this short
hour of the week.

This Sunday we enter the time of Advent and start the Liturgical Year
B.We will review the Gospel of St. Mark
which will help us grow in our faith so that we can fulfill the mission that
Christ entrusted to each of us.

Let’s remember the prophecy of Isaiah that we hear in the first reading:“Would that you might meet us
doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!”.
The Lord comes to live in the hearts of those who practice justice with joy and
who accept living with God along the way.

To enter the time of Advent, to start our preparation before Christmas, we
need to talk about the justice we practice and the path we follow every day.

May the first candle that shines this Sunday of Advent enlighten our minds
to commit ourselves to practice justice and to walk in the footsteps of the
Gospel so that the Lord can come into our hearts on Christmas.